UPGRADE P BASS PICKUPS?

I recently built my first bass, using Stewart McDonald neck, tuners, bridge, Golden Age P bass pickups, wiring etc. The body I carved myself from instrument grade curly European ash. I used StewMac components, since I wasn't sure if I could build a decent bass, and didn't want to waste money on high end components if it turned out to be a dog.
The bass turned out well, and various bass players (a lot better than me) have complimented me on it. So, to my question....I'm thinking of upgrading the pickups, and I'm leaning towards EMG PHZ or possibly Fender Original 1962 P Bass pickups. Does anybody have any experience of the Stewmac versus EMG, Fender or any other pickups? Any suggestions on any other brands? I play this bass and a Ned Steinberger electric upright in an acoustic band typically in small venues through a Phil Jones Flightcase amp.

I have no experience with the EMG, or the other pup you originally installed, but did recently install a '62 'Original' in my '76 P. It previously had a Dimarzio Model P which I didn't like. I was going for a more old-school P sound, and the '62 pup fit the bill perfectly. Full, but not muddy, fat, round and growls, and the notes are well defined.

Plus, you have to first decide what kind of sound you are looking for. As a previous poster mentioned, there are endless threads on pups. Figure out what sound you are shooting for first, then start searching the threads for pups that fit that sound, and remember it's all subjective.

The wild card here is the Dimarzio P. It's in a league or style of its own because it is a ceramic pickup. It's assertive without being aggressive, it's got hot output huge bass highs and mids. I adore this pickup but it does not sound like a Fender traditional pickup. It's a different beast. It edges on a 70's Fender pickup but it's more in your face. This is a great budget option too. Since it's priced in the ballpark of the 62' Reissue and the SPB-1.

To my ears all the pickups listed ahead of the Fender 62 RI offer a significant amount of improvement. Pass that it's a question of style and tonal preference. They are all great pickups.

I personally really like the Lollar P bass pickup. Has a lot of punch to it. Look at Nordstrand or Fralin also. I have yet to check out the new Aguilar P bass pickup but knowing those guys it probably kicks ass.

I personally really like the Lollar P bass pickup. Has a lot of punch to it. Look at Nordstrand or Fralin also. I have yet to check out the new Aguilar P bass pickup but knowing those guys it probably kicks ass.

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If you like Lollar and Fralin, I suspect you will not like the Aguilar. It's polar opposit of these two.

Im familiar with the Lollars and Fralins. Haven't tried an Aggie pup yet. How would you say they are different?

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The Aggie is the warmest pickup I have tried. It's incredibly woolly, round. It has mid punch, limited highs and very round bass. It's similar to an Antiquity II but it has its own personality. The Antiquity two has more bass and is a tad less punchy in the mids.

To my ears the Lollars and Fralins are a lot more aggresive with and abrasive edge to the highs.

The Aggie is the warmest pickup I have tried. It's incredibly woolly, round. It has mid punch, limited highs and very round bass. It's similar to an Antiquity II but it has its own personality. The Antiquity two has more bass and is a tad less punchy in the mids.

To my ears the Lollars and Fralins are a lot more aggresive with and abrasive edge to the highs.

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Neat. I will be trying an Aguilar P pup soon...

I like the Fralin, but it sounded nearly identical to the Fender Vintage reissue in my '62 AVRI.

The Lollar is probably the "clearest" and "widest" I've heard. Yup. Lot's of highs and extended lows. I like it just as long as the instrument sounds killer acoustically - otherwise it's a little too 'honest'!

I'd actually love to hear how the Golden age P'ups sound. I have some cheap P'up's that came loaded in some bodies I purchased and they sound wonderful. I'll get flamed for this but... there's only so much you can do with magnets and wire. A lot of it is just Hype IMO. Yes some pickups have weaker output but that's want the volume knob is for.

I am going to be dropping another Lollar P in one of my basses soon. Jason and crew are amazingly down to earth people who are a real pleasure to deal with. I consider their pickups the best on the market right now and their customer service is a prime example of how all businesses should be ran.

Opinions on this will be very subjective. 1,000 people will have 1,000 suggestions for you. I was in this position myself a while back. I chose the Original '62 pickup. I figured I couldn't go wrong, especially for the price. I'm afraid you'll have to read possibly a thousand posts and decide for yourself.
Here's a site with sound clips.http://ozbassforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3672
I couldn't find THAT much difference in a lot of them that EQ'ing wouldn't take care of. I bought a used PBass and I decided I'm leaving the stock pickup it in there and will be experimenting with strings instead because IMO there's more of a difference in strings than there are with pickups.